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Lake Area Dental

White Bear Lake Dentist

Children’s Dentistry

Dr. Jaksa feels the most important decision about your child’s future health is who you let treat them. Issues diagnosed and treated include: airway, correct function or bite and Ideal aesthetics. Nice looking teeth will be ruined without good function. Prevention and treatment of apnea and a longer and healthier life can result from treating some common skeletal patterns on children between the ages of 6 and 12. Dr. Jaksa has the credentials and working relationships with appropriate Orthodontists to accomplish these goals. Your child’s initial visit should be at age 3.

Our goal is to not only deliver the best dental care, but to develop a non-apprehensive dental patient. We help educate both parent and child, so habits and practices can be developed for a lifetime of optimal dental health. Our six month recall system for children is essential to deliver care at the appropriate time, and reinforces good dental health practices in family dentistry. One of the most critical aspects of dentistry for children is management of the airway with referrals to the most competent orthodontists in the area. Children can have different skeletal problems which dictate when they need to be treated. Some children with skeletal growth problems require care as early as age six. Late diagnosis can seriously affect outcome and lead to significant future dental problems and treatment. Some children with simple dental malocclusions can be treated at age 11-13, when the primary teeth are lost.

Breathing is making it a dental issue about the nose, the mouth, and the lungs. Nasal breathing is the correct way to breathe. There are many physiological advantages of nasal breathing, including air filtration to protect the lungs and better oxygen, carbon dioxide exchange. At Lake Area Dental, nasal breathing is assessed and referrals are given to the appropriate ENT’s when necessary, to establish optimally healthy nasal breathing.

Breathing is also about your mouth, making it a dental issue. Simply put, If the tongue doesn’t have enough space to occupy, it can occlude the airway. Young people sometimes adapt but with aging apnea worsens. This is a major cause of poor breathing and apnea which can shorten life spans and cause many medical conditions.

When assessing very young children, it is possible to predict which children will develop or have apnea. Children who present with a small “V” shaped upper arch, a retruded lower arch, an open bite, a tongue tie, snoring or grinding habits, poor sleep patterns, difficulty concentrating, and tired eyes are all candidates for an apnea evaluation and diagnosis. Apnea in children can affect all areas of growth and development. Children with these dental problems should be treated orthodontically, between the ages of 6 – 12 years. The idea is to positively promote specific skeletal growth of the child’s mouth and correct these patterns of malocclusion and misalignment. The goal is a large, wide, forward upper arch with a lower arch to match. This allows the tongue to come forward out of the airway.

Once the permanent teeth have erupted by the age of 12, this correction becomes much more difficult because the child’s skeletal growth is near completion. Treating with the right orthodontist early is critical for the child’s successful airway/apnea correction. Opportunity to correct this only comes once during a small window of time.

Children without these skeletal conditions are treated initially at the age of 12-13, once all the permanent teeth have erupted. This case is less concerning because the skeletal pattern is correct and can be treated or retreated at any age.

Dr. Jaksa feels that selecting an orthodontist is one of the most important dental decisions for your child’s dental health that you will make.

Excellence in orthodontics will lead to optimum dental health, where poor orthodontics can lead to a compromised result with a lifetime of dental problems. Dr. Jaksa has the experience in this dental community to refer your child at the appropriate time, to the area’s most competent orthodontists. Inadequate dentistry for children may lead to future dental problems, TMJ problems and facial muscle problems. This could eventually cause breakdown of the adult dentition and tooth loss.

Lake Area Dental also has the latest radiology equipment that gives us the ability to take x-rays outside of the patients mouth. This means no difficult x-rays inside a child’s small mouth, making your child’s dental visit much easier.

In addition, Lake Area Dental also uses Cari-Vu infrared scanning to diagnose cavities without radiation.

In working closely with Dr. Jaksa on the mutual care of patients where orthodontic treatment is needed, I have noticed his passion for delivering exceptional dental care. I have also noted his ability to communicate with patients about their treatment by using diagnostic aids such as dental models, films, and photos to help explain his findings and treatment objectives. Through his training and experience he has obtained the skills necessary to diagnose and provide care to the most complex dental problems. Dr. Jaksa is committed to continuing education. He has expanded his knowledge of dental malocclusions, TMD (jaw joint disorders), and comprehensive esthetic restorative dentistry by attending dental courses taught by national leaders in dentistry. Dr. Jaksa’s dedication to providing superior dental treatment is also demonstrated by the use of the most updated dental technology in his office. It is a pleasure taking care of the children and adults in Dr. Jaksa’s office when orthodontic treatment is indicated.

 

Dr. Brian DeVoe (Distinctive Orthodontics)

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many general dentists as I treat their patients’ orthodontic needs and consult with the family and dentist regarding treatment plans. I can say without a doubt that Dr. Jaksa is one of the finest, most detail oriented dentists with whom I’ve had the opportunity to work. Dr. Jaksa believes in taking the time to communicate his treatment goals to his patients so they can, as a team, get it right the first time. He also expects the dental specialist to whom he may refer a patient to do likewise.
Dr. Walter B. Parsons, Jr. /Orthodontist

 
Maplewood, Minnesota & Roseville, Minnesota

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The most important thing about children's dentistry is establishing good dental function for your child. Good function leads to a lifetime of good dental health. It is critical that children have a dentist that understands occlusion or good bite.